Embrace of the Abyss
by Sir Eddy
Summary: The light burns, it burdens and oppresses. Safety is sought within it, to feel the warmth it provides. The warmth though will turn to burning pain. The light will only be blinding in the end. Snuff out the flame, for then Nothing will remain, and Nothing can not harm you. There is nothing to blind, to deafen, to hurt, no fowl scents, or vile tastes. Only true and perfect peace.
_We are born from the dark; sleep takes us to dark; in death, we return to the dark. The darkness is serene; the void is peaceful. It is nothing, and in nothing we cannot be harmed, we cannot be judged, we cannot be touched. Do not fear the dark, for the dark is nothing, and nothing cannot harm you. It is calm, it is quiet, it is sanctuary. Everything fades, returning to the dark, returning to nothing. So do not avoid it, for it is inevitable to return to it; and in doing so, return to a perfect peace._

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The massive creature rested atop the tower, frozen in place like a statue, yet its presence could still be felt. It was not dead, only stuck, and beneath it thousands of the dark creatures congregated. The Grimm were of all sizes, from the small creeps that scurried about, to the titanic goliaths that shook the ground with each step. The Dragon was still alive, and its existence was a beacon to all other Grimm.

The grounds of the hunter academy, the great Beacon of Vale, was nothing of its former glory. It was now only rubble, the proud halls where the young hunters and huntresses in training learned now held the crawling and skulking forms of the very creatures that were hunted down by the previous occupants. The dining hall now fed the savage creatures of the Grimm, who fed on whatever corpses remained of those who failed to escape the academy's fall. The luscious gardens were as lifeless as the beowolves that moved through it. The fountain that sat in front of the academy, a shining piece that inspired the thousands who saw it with it's depiction of a Hunter and Huntress standing atop their conquered prey, was gone. It was the Grimm now that stood over the stone forms, the current champions of the training academy.

Despite the vicious creatures that roamed about, underneath the shattered moon that loomed high above, the academy was strangely quiet and peaceful. The lack of humans to rile the Grimm meant they simply did their own things, with the occasional and small scuffles between alphas. However, there was no frenzy among them, as they were preying upon nothing. It was just another quiet, starry night that had settled over the once glorious academy grounds.

The top of the tower where the dragon rested was the quietest of the locations. Though there were Nevermore constantly flying near it, no Grimm touched the floor where the headmaster's office use to be. Only the looming shadow of the dragon was there, where in the night it created an area where little to no light touched.

From that darkness, something began to stir within it. None of the nevermore seemed to give it any mind as it seemed to shift, any light that was there being absorbed to create a void in the spot. Nothing within could be seen, but still the darkness seemed to spread out to encompass the entire shadow of the dragon. From within, a sound began, the quiet sound of breathing, which mixed with the sound of dried bone scraping along the metal floor. Some of the Nevermore seemed to take notice, a few gliding over the location to see what was occurring beneath the massive, petrified Grimm. Between their screeches, the scraping resonated through the otherwise quiet tower.

A foot, encased in metal that held the appearance of a skeleton, dried and aged, resting over black cloth that hid whoever wore it, emerged first from the pitch black shadow, tendrils of the darkness seeming to cling to it as it slowly stepped out. A greave of similar design traveled up the leg that followed, and slowly as the figure emerged more and more of the skeletal armor was revealed. At it's waist rested a sword of black metal, all forged from one piece. The broad blade flared outwards into two points to form a guard at the base, before it formed a dip followed by another flare before narrowing into the long handle. The last part to emerge of the figure was the hooded head, the tattered black cloth rolling down the back in the appearance of scraggy, poorly maintained hair. The face that came from the darkness, framed by the hood over top of it, held the grin of a flayed skull. No skin or muscle to cover the teeth left them clearly to be seen. The holes of the nasal cavity lied beneath the empty sockets where the eyes should rest. Despite the soft breathing that came from underneath the skull, no eyes could be seen through the sockets of the mask. The shadows seemed to want to keep hold of the being, it having to shrug off the inky tendrils to fully free itself of the shadow's grasp.

The screech of a nevermore drew the attention of the skeletal figure, its head turning to observe the massive bird as it circled above. Around it other nevermore circled around to get a look at the newcomer, who watched back in silence. Their caws drowned out the breaths of the figure, reaching out far from the grounds to rile the non-grimm out in the forest. However, they made no other moves towards the humanoid atop the tower. No hostility towards it, simply circling to keep their gaze on it as it turned its head away from the massive birds.

With the shifting of old bones scraping one another, despite the hardness of the material and the dull luster betraying its metallic nature, the figure walked forwards to the edge of the tower until it could get a better view of the expanse before it. The tower gave it a huge view of the sprawling land, the rubble of masonry merging with the forest beyond the academy grounds. Turning its head, it slowly scanned the lands before it, watching the black specks of feral hatred move about far below.

Its head turned to sounds behind it, the void behind it beginning to stir as more began to emerge. The thin limbs of matching beings pressing their way through the shadows that tried to keep hold of them. Five more broke free from the hold, spreading out to look at the new place they were in before all their empty stares turned to face the first that had emerged. They each had a different weapon to his own, from a different sword, to maces, axes, and one even had a polearm resting on its back. One had a rugged and gnarled stick resting on its waist, opposite the sword it carried. Two of them lacked the hood atop their head, leaving only a fully bared skeletal helmet.

The five said nothing as they watched the first, all of them ignoring and being ignored by grimm flying around them, all waiting patiently before the first of them. "A new world has been revealed. Connected to the void, connected now to the Abyss." The first's head craned up to look at the dragon, whose shadow was still devoid of any light. "There lies no knowledge of this place, but nothing is what everything is built upon. Knowledge will be gathered of this world, and the first shall be finding the strength of what has left these empty beings the fly around this tower." Despite his malevolent appearance, his voice held a tone of calm and peace. It was the voice one hears when read a bed-time story, the kind that sings the serene lullabies that put children to sleep; it was soft and gentle.

The first watched the nevermore with curiosity, the massive birds having returned to their usual business and giving no more attention to the six who stood next to the greatest of the grimm. "These creatures are empty, soulless." his head turned once more to look out over the grounds again, his attention settling on nothing in particular. "Yet their power is great. What left these voids must be found; found and taken." he said as he looked back to his comrades. As he did, he lifted his left hand, his fingers relaxed as his entire hand began to glow with a dark, blood red, mixed with tinges of black. It almost seemed like a corrupted flame that burned on his hand, yet left no marks or caused no visible pain. "Take that power, take their humanity, snuff out their flame," There was a quiet acknowledgment to the first's words, some of the five tightening a hand into a tight fist. "embrace the dark, and spread its peace."

 **AN: Well, it has been a while since I've posted something up on this site. So for one, I am hoping this one does not have too many hiccups in it. Also though, I am definitely hoping this can spur me back into writing, especially since I do have an idea for a non-crossover RWBY fic. Regardless, give me your honest opinion, as I am one who appreciates constructive criticism. Thank you.**


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